Skip to main content

How a designer’s stylish iPhone icons made him $100K in a week

A designer who created a set of stunning icons for popular iPhone apps has made more than $100,000 within just a week of putting them on sale.

San Francisco-based Traf drew some attention when tech reviewer Marques Brownlee spoke about the stylish, minimalist icons in a recent show on his hugely popular YouTube channel.

Traf

Apple’s recent launch of iOS 14 allows for greater customization of the iPhone’s home screen using widgets — something Android users have been able to do for years.

While Apple still doesn’t allow an easy way to change app icons, a new workaround via the Shortcuts app also lets you swap out the regular icons with something more pleasing to the eye.

“I saw some people sharing screenshots of their iPhones after discovering that iOS 14 now allows you to add custom icons to your home screen using the Siri Shortcuts app,” Traf wrote in a blog post about his experience creating the app icons. “This was the first time you can really customize iOS, and it was catching on.”

Traf continued: “As soon as I noticed the hype, I put together some icons in my own style, downloaded some widgets, and tried it all out. I thought it looked cool, so I shared a screenshot of it on Twitter. Right away, people started asking about the icons in the screenshot.”

The sudden attention prompted him to set up an online storefront selling the pack of 120 icons for $28.

Traf

Sudden sales

Traf said that when he woke up the next day he saw that the tweet had exploded on Twitter, with subsequent media attention helping to push sales to around $6,000 within just 48 hours.

And then, toward the end of September, Marques Brownlee got involved.

“He shared a video about all of this — using my icons for his setup, and linked them in the description. The next thing I knew, I was making $28 what felt like every 28 seconds. My phone turned into the ultimate dopamine dispenser (if it wasn’t already). I had to disable notifications.”

Traf said that the following day, sales jumped from $6 to about $40,000, and when he wrote the blog post late last week, revenue stood at just over $116,000 from 4,188 customers.

The designer pointed out how the stunning uptick in fortunes had all come from “one single tweet.”

Icon limitations

It’s worth noting, however, that while the many of the new app collections from different creators look pretty amazing, the workaround has some limitations that may cause you to think twice before dropping cash on a collection for your own iPhone.

First, when you open an app by tapping on the icon, it takes a little longer than usual as it briefly opens the Shortcuts app first. Also, the icons won’t display notification badges. Finally, you have to install the icons manually one by one, so it’ll take time to set up.

Traf said in a tweet that the limitations have prompted some of his customers to request a refund, as they weren’t aware of them when they made the purchase. He’s since posted a tweet highlighting the issue.

The designer added that had he set out with the sole aim of making money, he’s convinced “it wouldn’t have worked nearly as well as it did,” adding that he decided to share his experience as he wanted to inspire others “to keep working at the things you enjoy, share them with the world, and letting the internet do the rest.”

Editors' Recommendations

Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
Does the iPhone 15 have an overheating problem? Here’s what we know
Someone holding the Natural Titanium iPhone 15 Pro Max.

The Apple iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 series have been launched with much fanfare, but it seems that not all users are completely satisfied with the new handsets. Despite the many improvements and new features that come with these phones, users of both the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 have taken to social media to complain about overheating issues.

While this may not be a cause for immediate alarm, it is certainly something that Apple and its team of engineers will need to monitor closely, assuming there is a system-wide problem, which there might not be. The last thing anyone wants is for the new phones to become a safety hazard or for users to suffer damage to their devices.

Read more
4 things Android phones still do better than the iPhone 15
Clockwise from top: natural titanium iPhone 15 Pro, Nothing Phone 2, green iPhone 15, and Obsidian Black Google Pixel Fold.

The Apple iPhone 15 lineup is here, which includes the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max. The Dynamic Island and USB-C are now available across the lineup, the standard models get a big camera boost to 48MP, the Pros get the new Action button, and the Pro Max even has a fancy new tetraprism telephoto lens for 5x optical zoom.

While all of this sounds impressive, Apple’s iPhone lineup is still behind the competition. Android phones have had some of these features for a while now — and even do some things a lot better.
Faster USB-C charging

Read more
Here’s what iOS 17’s coolest feature looks like in action
Apple NameDrop in action.

Apple has rolled out iOS 17 globally, and if you’ve already installed it, you might be surprised by the lack of visual pizazz that it offers. That observation isn’t far from reality. With the exception of StandBy mode, which essentially turns your iPhone into a glorified smart display while charging, there really isn’t much of a visual wow factor here.

But if you dig deeper, you will find that Apple really flexed its design muscles at the most basic level — telephony. With iOS 17, Apple introduced Contact Posters. Think of them as a digital identity card, one that allows a heap of styling and really lights up your call screen.

Read more